American Dental Association threatens manufacturer of mercury detection equipment to stop talking about toxic levels of mercury in dental offices

Friday, January 15, 2016 by: L.J. Devon, Staff Writer
Tags: mercury contamination, dental offices, ADA

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(NaturalNews) The American Dental Association (ADA) is the leading proponent for installing mercury-based fillings into the mouths of millions of people. The ADA states on their website that, "Dental amalgam is considered a safe, affordable and durable material that has been used to restore the teeth of more than 100 million Americans. It contains a mixture of metals such as silver, copper and tin, in addition to mercury, which binds these components into a hard, stable and safe substance. Dental amalgam has been studied and reviewed extensively, and has established a record of safety and effectiveness."

Even though safer options exist for teeth restoration, the ADA continues to push for amalgams which contain 50 percent mercury. For the most part, modern dentistry follows along with the toxic mercury tradition. Question a dentist about mercury toxicity, and he may just smirk at you. The ADA is so dead set on, and so prideful in their support of mercury fillings, that they will go out of their way to threaten mercury detection professionals who educate the public on the toxic levels of mercury in dental offices.

Airborne mercury levels spike to dangerous levels after amalgams are removed

As more people learn about the toxicity of mercury, honorable businesses that detect invisible, odorless mercury are growing. Colorado-based Mercury Instruments USA Inc. sells special equipment that gauges mercury levels in the air. The high tech equipment is used at industrial sites around the world to help train people to avoid invisible mercury.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set the average workday exposure limit for mercury at 100 micro grams per cubic meter. OSHA requires workers to wear protective equipment when mercury is over the limit. Sadly, many dentists don't care about the amount of mercury in their offices.

Mercury Instruments CEO Alex Hummell says that few dentists are even concerned about mercury levels in their dental practices. When amalgams are installed or removed, mercury is released into the mouths of patients and into the surrounding air. High speed vacuums are often used to suction the debris away from patients, but this doesn't stop the spread of mercury completely. Hummell says he's measured mercury levels in dental offices two to three times greater than OSHA limits. In one experiment, Hummell measured mercury levels 30 times the OSHA limit after just one amalgam was removed.

"I've seen in dental offices what would make these other offices have to shut down," said Hummell. "They would be closing their doors and getting respirators on."

Instead, he said, "there are kids running around everywhere. It's nuts. It's the exact same toxin, and it's being treated totally differently. Why is it being allowed to be so unregulated?"

ADA lawyer threatens CEO of mercury detection equipment

Years ago, Hummell recalls setting up an informational booth at a regional dental conference in Denver, Colorado. The demonstration attempted to educate dentists on mercury toxicity and the high levels most likely present in their dental practices. Hummell demonstrated how his equipment could measure rising mercury levels by simply brushing on an old mercury filling. Hummell said most dentists were reluctant to learn the importance of monitoring mercury levels in their practices and many smirked at his demonstration.

When it was all said and done, Hummell said, "I got a call the day after the convention from the American Dental Association's lawyer threatening to take me down if I didn't stop using their publication."

"I said, 'I thought the dental association wanted them to know.'"

"Right after that, you couldn't find that publication anywhere. . . . It disappeared from the Internet," Hummell said.

Sources include:

KansasCity.com

ADA.org